Platform: Mac, Windows

There's a fine line to walk when trying to create a sequel to a game as classic and well known as Zuma. You need to retain all the elements of the first game that made it such a classic, while adding enough newness to make people want to buy the sequel. Keep the game accessible enough that first time players can enjoy it, while ratcheting up the difficulty for veteran players looking for new challenges. Fortunately, Popcap has definitely walked that line well while creating Zuma's Revenge and produced yet another winner.

At its heart, Zuma's Revenge is a marble popper (or pebble shooter, whatever you want to call it) game. Fire similar colored marbles at long chains to eliminate them before they reach your skull base and kill you. Simple. Popcap, who has already created several classics in the realm of casual gameplay (and seriously, when is the sequel to Plants vs. Zombies coming out?), did not rest on their laurels when creating Zuma's Revenge. Rather than creating a complete retread of Zuma they have ramped up everything, graphics, music, gameplay, without losing the essence of what made the original game such an addictive joy.

To start, there is actually a hint of a story, mostly given in small snippets during the load screen and in conversations before and during the boss fights. (Yes, boss fights. More on that later.) Once again you are a mighty frog, frantically attempting to survive the hostile attention of several natives (shaman? tikis? what are these guys?) after landing on an island that is anything but welcoming to the average frog. The main Adventure mode progresses to different parts of the island, each with its own unique layout and challenges. In addition to the classic "sit in the middle of the screen and spin around" dynamic of Zuma, Popcap has added the occasional level where the gameplay switches to a bottom slider, or a screen where you, the heroic frog, can hop to different lily pads for a better shot. The game retains the drums, shouts, and other sound effects of classic Zuma while adding new effects and music. All the old power-ups are still there along with a host of new ones to round out gameplay.

Graphically, Zuma's Revenge is a treat. All of the locations are lusher, greener, more realistic, with paths that curve and meander without the sharp edges of Zuma. Beautiful whether played in regular or high-def, the artwork — which retains its Pacific island flair — would be worth lingering on, if you weren't so busy trying to get rid of those darned marbles. Each area of the island has its own distinctive look, from the lonely village to the volcano. There's even a whole section that takes place underwater, with attendant waves and bubbles to enhance the experience.

The meat of the game is the Adventure mode, broken down in the sections of the island, each with its own scenery, gameplay, and boss taunting you as you move towards the end of the section. Halfway through each section you will hit a milestone, denoted by a cheesy tourist postcard, which will allow you to start from there (rather than the beginning) if you lose all of your little froggie lives.

At the end, of course, is the boss fight, a simultaneous marble popping, trash talking, shoot 'em up experience as you fight to clear the marbles and take down the boss (and later, the boss' henchmen as well). Each boss has his own personality and powers, clearly stating his annoyance with you whilst attempting to commit frogicide. You will encounter bosses who control insects, bosses who throw lava, bosses who quote Simon and Garfunkel, and bosses who will let you know that they are extremely irritable. The final boss fight is one of such epic proportions your mouse hand might be numb before it is all over. Once you make it through adventure mode alive you will unlock other, more challenging areas, such as the timed challenge mode (encompassing 70 levels, from easy to insane), Heroic Frog mode (replaying a dventure mode with more difficulty), and eventually Iron Frog mode (a gauntlet type of mode that...well, perhaps you'd better find that one out on your own).

Analysis: From the additional humor, the ramped up graphics, the improved gameplay, there is literally nothing to complain about in Zuma's Revenge. The "spinning" of the little froggie hero is smoother and less "jerky" than the original, making gameplay easier. A convenient "aiming cursor" has been added, allowing for easier shots. The aiming cursor can also be turned off in the options menu for experts who disdain the help. You can also adjust the screen size in the options menu, the music, the sound effects, everything. Popcap has even gone so far as to add a "color blind" mode which will allow those with red/green color blindness to enjoy the marble popping madness. The slight amount of story given is the perfect balance, enough to enhance the humor of the game without bogging it down in details.

With Zuma's Revenge Popcap has hit a homerun. As with the original, you could waste hours and hours playing this game with no end in sight. Humorous, beautiful, addicting, Zuma's revenge includes everything the casual gamer could desire, with 50% more boss fights!

Zuma is near and dear to me as it is the game that really got me into casual gaming. Here was something so simple, yet so incredibly addictive and challenging. So when I heard of Zuma 2 I had high expectations.

In playing it I am quite impressed. The regular stages are faster, smoother, and more exciting. You can directly control how long the balls come out. And the boss battles are so much fun. I love the humor! Overall all I expected and more. Great atmosphere and sound too.

YES! I have been waiting for Popcap to make a sequel to Zuma for too long.
I really like what they have done with this new game. The graphics are much better and the things that have changed do not take away from the neverending silly fun the original game provided.
I must say my favorite change are the new faces on the marbles, they make me laugh!

I love the demo! My fave part is the new humor. Right from the loading screen. "Whose underpants are these?" indeed! The audio, the graphics: they're all so rich and interesting and complex. The developers obviously took a lot of care with this sequel, and it shows!

I really enjoy the mix puzzle game with action/shooter elements that Zuma's Revenge has. The addition of certain puzzles where the frog slides across the bottom or hops between two different shooting positions adds a fresh twist to keep me on my toes. The difficulty ramps up nicely while the new boss battles add an excellent change of pace every so often which keeps the game from getting too repetitive. The graphics are colorful and interesting without being overwhelming, motion is super smooth, and the character dialog is outrageously funny.

I sped through 26 levels in the hour I had to play, and I was worried that the full version would end up being a really short game--then I read the ReadMe... Ten levels in each of six stages for three different play modes (that's 180 levels!) plus ten more in Iron Frog Mode. Now my only worry is that, if I have the full game, I won't leave my chair until I beat it.
(I'll need a few gallons of soda, a stack of pizza, and maybe a chamber pot--unless I can move the computer to the bathroom...)

I'm a fan of just about every game from PopCap, and this new Zuma is no exception. Favorite part = Boss taunts.

The only thing that was a bummer for me was the PC memory useage. My computer is pretty all-right, not WoW-worthy or anything, but it took three tries to load the game because it kept freezing. When I finally got to a menu option, and changed the quality, I was able to play through section 2. But it wasn't as pretty...

This game is astonishing in the level of polish it has. Furthermore, I'm really impressed that this game could run on my machine without any extra fan noise or other whining noises from my computer. :P

[By the way, don't enter me in the contest thingy; I caved and bought this already. It's so Zuma-tastic!]

I really like some of the new power ups, including lightening and the tri-shot. It took me awhile to figure out the laser power-up and it feels kind of clunky. Also, I am definitely a fan of the lily pad jump and side scrolling. They make for some interesting gameplay.

I've got to chip in with what most people are saying. It's an amazingly beautiful game. And it's Zuma! I played a lot of classic in the day, and I'm sure I'll end up picking up (...or winning!) a copy of New!Zuma too.

I think the jumping from one lily pad to another was my favourite feature so far. I did enjoy using the slider, too. Keeps things fresh. Someone above me commented that they got through 26 levels in the hour they were allotted. I didn't seem to get the time restriction; after two bosses it took me to a "Buy Now" sort of screen instead. However, I seem to be able to play as many of the Challenge levels as I wish and by signing in with a different player name I can do the first two sections over again. I know for sure I have been playing longer than an hour. Anyone else finding this?

Cool game and about time! I played the original Zuma until my fingers just about fell off. :)

I have to admit, my favorite part of the demo was the art. I lost a couple of good combos because I was watching the balls revolve to get a full view of the intricate little faces. And the frog has so much personality!

I think everyone's mentioned this already, but PopCap's graphics are always wonderful, really vibrant and clean here. You can notice the little game details as soon as it opens, from the adorable lines on loading bar to each individual ball rolling in during game play. And I love the addition of the Boss fights at end of each location (made it the second one!) and their sayings once you defeat them. :)

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO CLAIM YOUR FREE GAME:
Please send an email to our contact address (link at the bottom of the page) including your full name, your email address and your OS platform of choice (Windows or Mac). Please state that you are at least 13 years of age or older. If younger than 13, please get your parents to send in their information instead.

The information will be used only for sending to PopCap for your free full version of Zuma's Revenge.

Damn it! I thought I'd get some sort of email. Figures I finally win something and I don't bother to check the message board cause I'm sure I'll get an email. Next time Jay runs something I'm gonna check it like a hawk. Or did you email me and it went into spam for some reason?

I downloaded Zume's Revenge and installed, then opted to play. My screen went black. As I have two monitors, I switched my mouse to the other, and the game then appeared on the first monitor. However, whenever I moved my mouse back to the game monitor, the screen again went black. I had to try to estimate where the proper places were to click (on the black screen) in order to get to the right place to exit, which I finally did.
Anyone else have this problem, and/or have a suggestion on how to remedy it?
Thanks - Joanne

I am stuck on 59th level of Heroic Frog and it is just impossible to complete it. I loose all my lives and have start from 56th level. I have played again from 56th level and reached 59th level many times but not able to complete that level. I just dont undertand why they have made it so difficult it is not at all fun playing the Heroic level. Pop Cap has gone mad.

Boodles: It depends on what version of the game you have. If you downloaded and purchased it from PopCap using the links on this page, then the extra modes should already be there.

If, however, you downloaded and purchased it from a different site, then chances are you have Zuma's Revenge Adventure, which is a stripped down (and cheaper) version of the game that includes only the Adventure mode.

Does anyone know if there's a reference guide to what needs to be accomplished in order for the differences to appear on the front page? For instance, after I beat the Iron Frog, something cool appears on one eye! (I don't want to give away what appears). My question is are there different things that I can uncover, and how can I know what to shoot for?

I finished the whole game last night! It was very tough but I loved it! When you get to level sixty with the torches, you win, when you shoot out all four torches! I figured it out after over an hour! Wow!! Great game!

I finished it and the credits popped up and then I went wild with celebrations and even got out of my chair to gloat to my wife when all of a sudden balls began popping at me. It was a bluff. I then had to fight toothe and nail to beat a few more bosses but I never ever really knew when I'd won. Then the other game modes opened up when I finally won. I guess the person who got to the credits was fooled and logged off. HA HA Ha!! That was the bluff of all bluffs that even had me fooled. What a fantastic game. Bring on MORE POPCAP!! This i9s LEGENDARY STUFF AND A CLASSIC GAME TWICE!!!

Matt - I like the added specials at the Main Screen too. As far as I can tell so far, you get one for beating Iron Frog and you get another for getting all the cups and another for making it through the Challenge level without dying. Right now I'm trying to make it through Heroic Frog. Not sure how long that will take me but I figure it deserves some reward.

Stage 6 of Iron Gauntlet is IMPOSSIBLE. More powerups should've been added to this stage, namely reverse, blast and maybe a lightning ball here or there. Without them I just can't clear it and I've played for days! Arghhhh!

I am on Boss Battle 5. I have shot all of the balls of the screen before he had a chance to fire back. Now I am just sitting here with nothing happening. All I can do is fire at his force field with, of course, no results. Any suggestions?

How annoying! I wizzed through the 60 levels and looked for the extra gameplay modes and they weren't there. This site has explained why - I have got Zuma's Revenge Adventure. I wish Yahoo had explained that this wasn't the full game. Maybe they did and I didn't see it. Anyway, I am now buying it again from PopCap so that I get the full game.

I'm going crazy here :) I can't get any further than level 7 in Iron Frog... I've got all the Ace cups in gauntlet mode for all the previous ranks, so the only thing left is doing this for the Iron Frog levels too, but the i first have to unlock them.... Grrrr.... Damn you Zuma !!!

cmthmpsn: Stand underneath him and take his hits.. they only paralyze you for a moment. He mirrors you at first, then opposites your movements (gotta shoot him in the center while managing balls) and the toughest last part when he shoots diagonally at you. Manage balls during 1st two phases as best you can while hitting him and then finish him off last phase.

Please Help!! I have been stuck on Heroic Frog's final boss for weeks! I get past the stone face and then the bat looking guy appears and then I can get him down to a quarter of a heart left on his health yet I hit him 3 or 4 more times and he still doesn't die!! Do I have a defective game or is there some kind of trick??

I CANNOT get past the boss battle after the third level in Heroic Frog. I keep getting "dazed". I need to hit the boss guy 20 times to beat him, and I can't get more than three hits. What's the secret? And what does it mean when that lightening rod lights up?

Has anyone noticed that you don't actually recieve the bonus points from the "clear curve bonus"? I get the extra frog, but don't get the actual "bonus points" that it says you get... It kind of makes the "clear curve bonus" more of a detriment than a bonus because I would rather have the time bonus which is usually much larger and it costs time for the clear curve to work it's way through. All in all, the game is very cool but they should have worked on the scoring more... Make NO mistake, the bosses on Heroic Frog are a BEAST, but they can be had. My top score on Zuma was 2.88 mil and the most I've done on Revenge is 1.18 mil. The score seem to be very hard to improve on and with more thought to the scoring I think Popcap could have made one for the ages.

Congrats Mel... You're absolutely right that getting the string to "back up" every chance you get is essential to beating Iron Frog. It took me over 50 tries to win my first time, but now I just won for the 100th time out of 312. Level 9 is the worst for me with #6 probably the next. But I can still be had by ANY of them if I miss many shots. Good Luck!
P.S. Top scores on Adventure mode anyone? Mines 1.18 mil...

i got this game yesterday and i have benn playing since then! i passed all teh level but in the 60 level i get stucked !! i have benn playing for a long time !!i dont know why they do this !! is so boring!! i want to pass it! i read in the comments that u pass the level when all the torches putt off !! but iot takes too long!! HELPP

Got a question on the mac version of Zuma Revenge. Does anyone know how to change the balls when playing on the mac. I know on windows you use the right mouse button to change the current ball to the next. But on a mac mouse, there is no left and right mouse button. Please help! I set my mother in law up on her mac but we don't know how to do that. I thought there might be a way in the options to change that but there isn't!

OK, what could possibly be left? Iron Frog done (level 6 and 9 are the worst but at least on 9 you can throw balls away)done in 19:34
So here's the rest of my stats
All Challenges done ACE and lowest score is 150,000 out of all the challenges (good luck beating that on insane 2 - took forever and got 153,691). Just now hit my highest challenge score of 413,826 on level 9.
Highest Adventure Score : 1,436,430 Time 1:22:59
Highest Heroic Score : 1,091,980 Time : 1:59:37
How'd I do this and tips? I played over and over and over. Stats say 38 hours but it's easily 100s since I have this on 3 computers!!

hey, the zuma revenge is awesome...
i have finished an iron frog...
for you who stuck in level 9, i've got a little tips for you.. hope it can help
so, beside the speed and accurately, you have to think what balls you should shoot, to make them roll-back...

guys, to all of you who enter this site and write on this forum,, i wanna ask the biggest score you'v got in challange mode...?
thanks..
^_^

Well, after I asked what's left I have gotten 200,000 or more on 69 out of 70 challenges. Still can't top the 153,000 on Insane level 2. I think my highest is still the 413,00 I posted right above your comment

OK, finally have over 200K on all challenges with the lowest score at 200,765 on level 62. 171 attempts and 59 hours played to get it. Highest score on challenge is 430,530 on level 26. Now I'm done with this game. When's the next one coming out?

Anyone care to give me some hints/tips to get through Iron Frog level 9 please?? VERY frustrating level ... ball pattern is far from ideal and powerups are rare or they're not reachable past the 1st line. I can get past 6 and 7 just fine now .. 8 is a breeze but 9 kicks my butt every time! Thanks in advance.

Boss 6 in adventure is not that difficult that I thought. You just need to hit the balls and when you have the chance that they make empty room for shooting the torches do it, when the four torches are not light anymore you win that part and go down to continue the second part of the boss 6, that is easy.
Now I need somebody to tell me how to bit the Boss 3 in Heroic Frog, I just can't make it, it goes so fast.

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